Islands offers mobile iOS and Android apps that let students create and join themed channels, or “islands,” to organize activities, share class notes, or form support groups. Users verify identity and college location by syncing social accounts, and a built-in geofence connects users within five miles of campus. The product is designed to help students interact with people they don’t already know and positions itself against GroupMe and social apps rather than Slack. Islands is live on five campuses (including University of Alabama, University of Florida, and University of Western Ontario) and says thousands have requested access during a targeted rollout. The company currently uses human moderators for safety and plans to automate security with AI in the future. Islands has a nine-person team and has not yet launched a monetization plan; it will use the new seed funding to further develop the product and hire more engineers.

Total raised

$2M

Funding rounds

1

Latest round

Seed

Latest activity

Aug 2017